Drilon Senate: Beyond Blue Ribbon

I am fairly certain that Senator Franklin Drilon would not want to leave as his sole legacy, as Senate President, a Senate primarily known for investigations and media-covered committee hearings. Surely, he would want the Senate, under his leadership, to be remembered as a partner of the President in making the Philippines the next economic miracle of Asia.

In addition to that, he would want this Senate to leave a legacy of laws that promoted good governance and inclusive growth. This was the theme of his speech more than a week ago at the general membership meeting of the Management Association of the Philippines.

If we focus attention on media coverage, one can easily mistake the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to be the core institute of the Philippine Senate. I must confess that I am as titillated by all the exposes and scandals revealed during these hearings. I find the drama-filled posturing of the senators, the so-called witnesses and the accused as riveting as the many popular courtroom television series. You can find samples in so many channels these days — The Good Wife, Defenders, Law and Order and so on.

But I also find certain uses for these hearings which have, after all, brought to the public attention the Napoles PDAF scams that have put three senators – Enrile, Estrada, Revilla – in jail for plunder.

But it is good to know that Senate President Frank Drilon is aware that, in the final analysis, the Senate serves the nation best by passing the legislation that will have long lasting impact on the lives of the Filipino. There are several pending legislation that deserves more public attention.

One such legislation, which I have long advocated, is the proposed Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. There is no question that smuggling continues to be a major issue in this country. We hear about it in different product lines – from oil and gasoline to rice and sugar to garlic. According to Drilon, the measure seeks to address “the illicit shipment of goods by instituting electronic processing of import and export, simplifying the customs procedure for ordinary citizens, and increasing the operating flexibility of the Bureau of Customs.”

It is very clear that even the bravest and most honest general can clean the Customs and combat the existing syndicates. Corruption has become too systemic and has become an ingrained culture in the Customs Bureau. Even Secretary Almendras is quoted to have said that extortion is a way of life in the port areas of the country.

Corruption in the Customs Bureau has a debilitating effect even on legitimate businessmen. It makes even the honest person fatalistic and convinces them that this is a way of life that must be accepted even by the most moral and courageous businessmen. It also convinces the honest person that there is no level playing field – that corruption is the best means of acquiring wealth. The only feasible measure is to root out the whole system and replace it with a new one. Hopefully, modern technology and an innovative head of the Bureau of Customs can finally accomplish this mission.

The Senate has only promised to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law by the first quarter of 2015. This means the deadline is the end of March 2015. This is so essential if we are to bring peace to Mindanao. The need for this enactment has become more critical now that there are reports that there is already an affiliate of ISIS operating in Mindanao.

Al Qaeda and the Taliban were considered violent terrorists. These groups pale in comparison to the brutality of the ISIS groups. Whenever they capture Christians, they behead the men and enslave the women. Even the Muslim countries in the Middle East – Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar – have joined the coalition to destroy this group. But the long term solution is to show our Muslim brothers and sisters that there is a better solution to their just demands. This solution is the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

There are two sectors – mining and power – where the executive and the legislative branches of government must look for ways to reconcile conflicting interests that will allow investors to enter these two industries. These two sectors will literally require billions of US dollars in the next decade.

In the case of the energy industry, there is certainly an immediate need for emergency powers for PNoy to address the immediate concern of potential power shortages. However, there is a need for a more long term solution. Renewable energy is the most ideal, but the capital requirement is too large and the technology is still new. The most economical and cheapest source would be coal powered plants. There are already several proposed coal powered plants awaiting government approval. However, environmentalists continue to be adamant about its anti-coal stand.

In the case of mining, the Philippines has always been considered as one of the richest country in terms of natural resources. Mining can provide billions of dollars in government revenue and provide hundreds of thousands of jobs in the rural depressed areas. Again environmentalists and local communities have long been resisting the expansion of mining in this country. Hopefully, the executive and the legislative will find a mutually acceptable framework that will be acceptable to both the environmentalists and the potential investors in these industries.

Then there is the hope that Drilon and Belmonte can lead Congress for a constitutional amendment that will allow Congress and the President to formulate economic policies, instead of the Supreme Court.

These are only a few items on the Drilon agenda. He has promised that, if needed, he will ask for a special session. He says: “2016 can wait.” Perhaps this will be his legacy — placing the interests of the Filipino above politics.

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